The NRA has released its revised nuclear safety regulations. They will go into effect on July 18, at which point utilities will be eligible to submit applications to restart the 48 reactors that are currently offline nationwide. In addition to regulating reactor safety, they also mandate distribution of iodine tablets to those who live within 5 km of a nuclear reactor; immediate evacuation for those within 5 km, even if no radiation has been released; evacuation for those living beyond 5 km of radiation levels reach 500 microsieverts per hour; and evacuation within one week if they reach 20 microsieverts per hour. Municipal officials are required to submit evacuation plans and nuclear disaster plans by March 18, but many have said they will not be able to submit them on time because they are just now receiving evacuation guidelines. In the meantime, the updated rules are already stirring up controversy. NRA officials recently released a draft version of the standards for public comment, and unexpectedly received an unprecedented 3,155 comments, many requesting iodine distribution for those outside of the 5 km radius and stricter evacuation guidelines. However, the agency did not make any major changes, leading some to charge that they are ignoring public opinion.

Evacuation and Repopulation Efforts

Almost two years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster first began to unfold, residents in Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate continue to feel its effects in myriad ways. Population numbers across the three prefectures have dropped precipitously. In response to the nuclear crisis, records show that overall, 72,000 people have fled the area out of fear of radiation exposure and because they cannot find jobs and infrastructure no longer exists to support residents. That number takes into account large numbers of evacuees (for instance, in Fukushima Prefecture, 150,000 people still have not returned to their homes) as well as those areas to which they have fled and where the population has increased, such as in Sendai and Rifu. However, experts surmise that the exodus numbers are probably far greater; many evacuees have had to keep their former addresses on record in order to ensure receipt of compensation from TEPCO. “Many residents will likely move their residential registration when preferential measures for evacuees and compensation come to an end,” noted one town official in Okuma. The exodus has disproportionally affected the young; in Fukushima Prefecture, 82% of the population decline was for those 40 years of age and younger. In Kawauchi, where only 400 residents of the 3,000 who originally lived there have returned, 80% are 50 years old or greater.

Great article just full of information. Thank you very much Greenpeace and Ms. McCann for all the great updates past and present. Without these I would be totally ignorant of what is going on in Japan.

Post a comment

OPTIONAL: Register to avoid filling out forms each time you post a comment
Sign Up Here
login via Facebook or Google

(Unregistered) Beppe
says:

Could it be that nor Tepco nor other companies are maintaining workers exposure records because fines for failing to do so, if any, are much cheaper t...

Could it be that nor Tepco nor other companies are maintaining workers exposure records because fines for failing to do so, if any, are much cheaper than the potential liabilities in case the workers get sick?
Could it be that government agencies are not doing it either because of a cozy relationship with the industry?